It was ranked alongside Russia, India and China as an emerging global economic powerhouse but now the pillaging of Brazil’s natural resources, corruption at the highest levels and a crippling drought is threatening that status

One of the most frequent complaints about politicians from a disgruntled public is that “they are only in it for themselves”. It is disappointing to see that suspicion apparently confirmed by the actions of two of the hitherto most highly regarded Members of Parliament, Malcolm Rifkind, Conservative MP for Kensington, London, and Jack Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn, Lancashire.

As Britain drifts towards being an ever more secular society, the interests of religion and the concerns of the religiously minded are likely to appear to the majority as unimportant and hard to fathom. It is this indifference and incomprehension, rather than overt hostility, which leads local government officials in South Wales,...

On Tuesday, the bishops of England and Wales published a letter to Catholics setting out issues to consider ahead of this year’s general election. It is a far cry from the bold 52-page document produced on the same subject last week by the Church of England

It was ranked alongside Russia, India and China as an emerging global economic powerhouse but now the pillaging of Brazil’s natural resources, corruption at the highest levels and a crippling drought is threatening that status

The 14 Stations of the Cross found on the walls of almost every Catholic church allow us to relive Christ’s final journey wherever we are. The former master of the Dominican Order considers the beauty and significance of this ancient devotion

The publication of Paul VI’s encyclical banning the use of artificial birth control was a pivotal moment in this journal’s history. The stand taken against it by the then editor has reverberated ever since

When is an invasion not an invasion? The bitter experience of Ukraine suggests that if Russia sends a trickle of soldiers into its neighbour – rather than a flood – then it can somehow avoid the stigma of attacking another country.